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April 30, 2011

Everything here at Blue Creek Home came through the tornado unscathed…except for our nerves and our hearts. The devastation is horrific. Our hearts are heavy for all the suffering and loss in our county and state.

On Wednesday night, when the Montgomery station started calling the name of our subdivision, and that the tornado was almost on top of us, we went to our safe place in our full basement and felt fairly safe, but still unsure of what might be coming. We had watched the massive tornado, live on t.v., as it traveled across Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. We weren’t sure that there was any place that was safe enough. Prayer was our only defense.

As the crow flies, the tornado passed within a couple of miles of us. We didn’t hear anything as Mason was screaming and all four dogs were going crazy – barometric pressure maybe. Miraculously, our power blinked off and on, but it never stayed off, so we had the advantage of staying updated with the latest information. As soon as we felt safe, we came up and was thankful that nothing was damaged right here. As the night went on, we kept hearing reports of horrible damage in our area. We ventured out a couple of hours later to see if we could be of assistance to anyone but both main roads around our subdivision was closed, so we came back home as there was more warnings for our area.
We couldn’t call out or receive calls as our phone lines were out and that also meant we had no internet service. One of our cell phones might get one bar of service occasionally – enough to go outdoors to start letting our family and friends know that we were okay. We were always cut off after a minute or two.

There is massive destruction all around us, a lot of injuries, and as far as we have heard, 3 deaths.
Our neighbor has two sisters who live a short way from here and both of their homes were severely damaged. Both sisters were sucked outside and have broken bones – husbands were injured but not as severely – all are still in the hospital. We drove by their homes after the road opened up yesterday and we couldn’t speak – there are just no words.
We got phone/internet service during the early morning hours today. I was amazed at how many emails I had received telling us to stay safe and asking if we were okay. I was so touched. Some of you said you had prayed for us. That meant the world to me.

I want you all to know that I am thankful for your thoughts and prayers. Please continue to pray for the many who lost loved ones, all of their possessions, or still cannot locate family members.
Rhonda

22 comments:

I have had you on my mind constantly! I pray for all the lives touched by this terrible disaster. I am glad you are safe. I can not imagine how you felt! I am counting my blessings here just knowing you and the family are ok. Love and Hugs Anne

Rhonda, I am so glad you and your family are safe. My husband grew up on lake Martin and he still has family and friends that live there. Our family in Dadeville are all safe and had very minimal damage. My heart goes out to those that were not so lucky.Hugs,Sherry

Oh, Rhonda, it's so marvelous you and your family are safe! This has been such a tragedy. I have family in Fort Payne (that's where I was born) and lost two cousins in the tornado. My heart is just breaking.Blessings,Shelia ;)

Rhonda, so glad you are safe. My kids are in Huntsville, and they are safe as well, but w/o power. There were tornadoes all around them but they are ok. So thankful, and continuing to pray for those who have suffered such loss and devastation. Suzanne

So glad that you and your family are safe. You are right, prayer is the only thing that will get everyone through terrible times like this. Joining my prayers with all the other ladies on here. Safe safe and many blessings to you my friend!Mimi

Thank you for your kind words. We were just in Blue Creek last night grabbing a bite to eat. I'm thankful that your family was spared. I have family working with the FD in the relief efforts, and 5 have been found so far, but there are more unconfirmed deaths that haven't been released yet. You're right, I NEVER want to see anything like this again. Take care. -- Stephanie

It is a relief to hear you and family are doing well. Our hearts and prayers go out to all affected. We have had tornadoes close to home but nothing with this devastating result. Across the miles we are willing to do what we can to help those impacted.

Rhonda, so glad you all are okay. Watching it from our den here in Montgomery as it ripped through Tuscaloosa and then Birmingham was like watching a movie....you couldn't believe what you were seeing was real. I was so worried about our son in B'ham but fortunately they were fine. Of course, our lake weekend at my sister's place on Lake Martin was called off...the place was spared but no power or water. She checked it out on her way to Montgomery on Friday and David drove up there yesterday...I think we're going to ride up to Hwy. 9 today....he said you can't believe what you are seeing. All of this still boggles my mind. I want to help these folks somehow so I'll be trying to find a way to do that.

Rhonda...It was so nice of you to check in with as many people as you could. And so nice to meet a new blog friend! Thankfully, today we got electricity and things will be moving in a better direction. I haven't been to Cullman or Huntsville because we've been told to stay out of those areas, but thankfully all my friends in those cities as well as Decatur are all okay. We were so much more blessed than many others in our state. My heart breaks for those who were not as lucky as us. Will check in on you later! Again...thanks for checking on us!

Rhonda, I want to thank you so much for sending me an email to let me know you and your family were okay when you got your power back. I was so relieved, but of course, my heart breaks for those who were less fortunate. I have heard so many stories of those who have opened their homes and contributed supplies to those who suffered great losses. The one thing you can count on is people coming together when disaster strikes. I wish it were that way every day.